Bulls land Maryland transfer Gilchrist

USF coach Stan Heath has landed an eighth member of his incoming recruiting class -- perhaps the biggest coup of the group -- as Augustus "Gus" Gilchrist, a power forward/center who was granted a release from Maryland, signed a grant-in-aid with the Bulls after a weekend visit to campus.

"I feel like I made a really good choice," said Gilchrist, who lists himself at 6-foot-11, 235 pounds. "It's a great feeling."

Gilchrist said he expects to start classes at USF when the second half of summer classes begin in two weeks, and USF's compliance office will now begin the process of applying for an NCAA hardship waiver that would allow him to play this fall without sitting out a year as is normally required.

"I feel very confident (about playing this year), and I met with the people who will file the papers with the NCAA, and they seem extremely confident," said Gilchrist, who said he was not told by Maryland officials of an ACC transfer rule that cost him a year of eligibility after he originally signed with Virginia Tech.

Gilchrist said a big part of his decision was the chance to play with USF point guard Chris Howard, who was briefly a teammate of his on a state championship team at Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland. Gilchrist he spent much of his visit with Howard this weekend.

"I already know what he brings to the table," Gilchrist said. "My freshman year, I was on the bench watching him play."

Meeting Heath and having the chance to see his vision for turning USF into a competitive team in the Big East confirmed for Gilchrist that USF was the right place for him.

"He seemed like a real genuine person," Gilchrist said. "I know he wants to win. I think the Big East is a great conference, the best conference in the NCAA."

Gilchrist is most often identified as a center, but he said his natural position is at power forward, though he'll line up for Heath "wherever he needs me to play." He would be the eighth member of Heath's incoming class, a figure all the more incredible considering six of the incoming players have committed since last March.

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